CEDAR RAPIDS — The Region XI-B softball tournament starts this afternoon for NIACC at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. The Lady Trojans are the third seed in the region and will face sixth seed Iowa Lakes at 4 o’clock. NIACC won all four regular season games against Iowa Lakes this season, winning 9-5 and 15-9 on March 31st in Estherville, and 13-3 and 9-1 on April 14th in Mason City. On the other side of the XI-B bracket, second seed Kirkwood faces seventh seed Ellsworth. The double-elimination tournament continues through the weekend, with the winner traveling to face the Region 13 winner Dawson Community College of Glendive Montana next weekend. Region XI-A has their tournament this weekend at DMACC in Boone. Top-seed DMACC will face eighth-seed Northeast Community College and fourth-seed Iowa Central faces fifth-seed Southwestern in the opening round this afternoon.

IOWA CITY — The 24th-ranked Iowa Hawkeye baseball team closes out the home season beginning Friday night by opening a three game series against Michigan State. The Hawkeyes are 11-7 in conference play and take on a Spartan team that opened the season 3-18 but has won four of its last seven in the Big Ten.

That’s Iowa coach Rick Heller. The Hawkeyes are 18-5 at home and looking to finish strong at Banks Field.

Iowa has won six straight weekend series but in four of the last five the Hawkeyes have failed to complete a sweep by dropping the Sunday game.

Game one of the three game series is tonight, with afternoon games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

MASON CITY — Co-ed state-qualifier track & field meets will take place today after meets all across the state were postponed Thursday due to the cold and windy weather: